Railway switch heater



April 1940- H. w. GRIMISON 2,1 6,014

' RAILWAY SWITCH HEATER Filed Dec. 30, 1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 WITNESSES:

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ATTORNEYS.

April 1940- H. w. GRIMISON 2,196,014

RAILWAY SWITCH HEATER Filed Dec. 50,1937 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIC EJI- HGIZ:

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N W I TN ESSES I N VEN TOR:

ATTORNEYS.

Patented Apr. Z, 1949 rear romce RAILWAY swircn HEATER Harry W.Grimison, Trenton, N. J. Application December 30, 1937, Serial No.182,566

3 Claims.

This invention relates to railway switch heating means, that is to say,to apparatus or equipment-useful in keeping railway track switches clearofclogging ice and snow for maintenance x in workable condition inwinter weather.

The chief aim of my invention is to make it possible to effectively heatrailway switches and their actuating rods with assuranceagainst burningof the track ties or charring of the switch insulation.

Another object of my invention is to attain the above advantages with asimple, rugged and inexpensive gas-burning heating means which does notentail the employment of specially designed parts in its construction;which is easily and quickly placed or removed with minimum labor; whichdoes not require attachment of any of its component parts either to therails or the ties; which has its component parts so located with.relation to the track rails and switch tongues as to be immune againstdamage by derailed or dragging equipment; and which, moreover is highlyeconomical in the use of the'heating medium. 1

Other objects and attendant advantages will appear from the followingdetaileddescription oi the attached drawings wherein Fig; I shows inplan a railway switch embodying my improved heating means. 7 I.

Fig. II is a view partly in top plan and partly in longitudinal sectionof one of the heating units of the apparatus, designed for placement inthe intervals or cribs between ties, occupied by the switch-actuatingrods. I

Fig. III shows the bottom plan of the unit featured in Fig. II. I I IFig. IV is a detail sectional view taken as indicated by the arrowsIV-IV in Fig. I.

Figs. V and VI are views corresponding to Figs. II and, IIIof one of thesmaller heating units designed for placement at the other points alongthe switch at opposite sides'of thetrack.

The' railway switch shown in Fig. I is of well known design andconstruction having switch tongues S, S associated respectively with thetrack rails R, R, the actuating rods for the switch being indicated atA, A and the cross connecting rods at C.

The switch heating means with which the present invention is moreespecially concerned includesa multiplicity of individual. gas burnerunits of which the long ones, designated 5, are proportionedto extendacross the full width of the track in the intervals or cribs betweenties T, occupied by the switch actuating rods A, A and the crossconnecting rods C with their ends under-reaching the rails .R, R; whilethe short ones designated 2 are adapted for placement in the intervalsor cribs between ties crosswisebeneath the rails R, R and the associatedswitch tongues S, S at other points along the switch at oppositesides ofthe track. vThe heater units I and 2 may all be supplied with eithernatural or artificial gas from a single main; or as herein shown, theymay be subdivided into two groups,

the units'of one group supplied from a main 3 atone side of the track byway'of branched.

flexible distribution hoses 4 of rubber or the I I like, and the unitsof the other group from a main 3a at the opposite side of the track byway of similarly branched flexible distribution hoses 4a. I

The heater units 5 are of identical construction, each being formedas-shown in Figs. II-IV from two tubes 5 and 6, which may be cut fromordinary commercial Cpipe stock, one disposedaxially within the otherwith a substantial annular clearance between them. At their'opposite'ends the tubes 5 and 6 are permanently secured, as by welding, tostandards and 8 fashioned from sheet metal withfbases 9 and i adapted torest on the track ballast so that said tubes are supported at a slight;elevation above the ballast level. The inner tube 5, which constitutesthe burner of the heating unit, is capped at oneend as shown at I i, andat the other end extends through the standard 9 for connection to thegas supply hose 4 or 4aas the case may be. The enclosed portion of theburner tube is provided, see Figs. 31 and IV, with a longitudinally ar-lranged series of upwardly discharging burner jet apertures l2.

being symmetrically disposed with respect to the vertical longitudinalplane of the tubing and accordingly out of alignment with the jetapertures E2 of the burner pipe 5. The outer pipe 6 thus serves both asa radiator and as a shield to prevent-direct contact of flame either tothe ties or to, theinsulation associated withthe actuating rods A, A ofthe switch, thereby precluding burning of the ties or charring of theswitch rodinsulation, and on the other hand, as shields to prevent thejet flames from being blown out under the action of air currents createdby passing trains.

The smaller heating units 2, detailed in Figs. V and VI, are similar tothe units i, except as to length and as to the number of jet outlets intheir inner pipes and the number of slots in their shield tubes. Inorder to avoid the necessity for repetitive description, correspondingparts of the smaller units 2 are identified with the same referencenumerals previously employed. In both the large and small units I and 2,the proportioning of the slots I2 and E3 in the outer tubes 6 is such asto predetermine efficient and complete combustion of the gas dischargedfrom the jet apertures l2 of the inner or burner tubes 5.

Since the heating units l and 2 are connected by flexible hose andarranged to be merely laid on the ballast in the cribs between ties, itwill be seen that the entire apparatus can be easily and quickly set upor removed. Obviously this is a decided advantage over the usual formsof heating means where attachment of the component parts to the trackrails or to the ties is necessary. Furthermore due to construction andplacement of the heating units as herein shown and described, the cribscontaining the switch actuating rods, and the portions of the cribsimmediately beneath the track rails and the switch tongues at otherpoints are kept clear of snow and ice thereby precluding the necessityfor hand removal as heretofore for maintenance of the switches inoperable condition.

From the foregoing, it will therefore be apparent that, through myinvention, there is now made available a switch heating means which,

notwithstanding its simple and inexpensive construction, is absolutelyreliable and highly economical in use.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. A gas burning railway switch heater including a multiplicity ofheater units adapted for placement in the intervals between tiescrosswise beneath the rails and switch tongues respectively at oppositesides of the track, each such unit comprising a pair of co-extensivetubes, one disposed substantially axially within the other, the innertube having a longitudinal line of upwardly discharging burner jetapertures centrally of its top for fuel gas and the outer tube having alongitudinal air inlet slot centrally of its bottom andcircumferentially-spaced laterally discharging longitudinal slots in itstop for escape of the hot products of combustion; and a gas main withflexible branches by way of which the gas is supplied to the inner orburner tubes of the individual heater units.

2. A gas burning railway switch heater including a multiplicity ofheater units of different sizes, the smaller ones being adapted forplacement in the intervals between ties crosswise beneath the respectiverails and corresponding switch tongues at opposite sides of the track,and the larger ones being of a length to extend crosswise of the trackbeneath both rails and switch tongues for placement in the cribs betweenties adjacent the actuating rods of the switch, each such heater unitcomprising a pair of coextensive tubes, one disposed substantiallyaxially within the other, the inner tube having a longitudinal series ofupwardly discharging jet apertures centrally of its top for fuel gas andthe outer tube having a bottom air inlet and laterallydischarginglongitudinal top outlet slots for escape of the hot products ofcombustion to the switch rods; and a gas main with flexible branchesthrough which the gas is supplied to the inner or burner tubes of theindividual heater units.

3. A gas-burning railway switch heater unit comprising pair of tubes,one disposed substantially axially within the other, the inner tubehaving a longitudinal line of upwardly-discharging burner jet aperturescentrally of its top for fuel gas; and the outer tube having alongitudinal air inlet slot centrally of its bottom andcircumferentially spaced laterally-discharging longitudinal slots in itstop for escape of the products of combustion; means whereby the tubesare connected together in the relation aforesaid and supported at anelevation to permit the air to enter the bottom slot in the outer tube;and means for conducting the gas to the inner tube of the unit.

HARRY W. GRIM'ISON.

